1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a textile manufacturing apparatus utilized to manufacture a sequined, textured fabric having an attractive and uniform exterior appearance and being substantially secure in its construction, in a substantially rapid and cost-effective manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
When manufacturing a sequined fabric, the intricate manufacturing required can often be quite difficult and time-consuming, thereby making the fabric quite expensive. Specifically, the attractive nature of sequined fabrics is primarily due to the three-dimensional appearance of the various sequined elements disposed along the fabric's surface. With most such fabrics, each individual sequined element must be directly secured to an underlying fabric, a process that can be quite difficult given the number of sequins implemented in substantially close proximity from one another. Also, in manufacturing similar types of fabrics such as that disclosed in the patent to Giannone, Sr. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,881), reflective material films are utilized to provide the sequining effect. These existing textiles, however, can be quite limited in their functionality, primarily due to the ease in which they become unraveled or separated, and furthermore, are quite difficult to construct. In fact, conventional methods of constructing such fabrics incorporate manual inlaying of various material layers, a process that can be quite expensive due to its labor intensive requirements.
Accordingly, there is a substantial need for an improved sequined, textured fabric, which can be effectively utilized in a multitude of differing applications, and an apparatus and method which can make such a fabric in a rapid and cost-effective manner. The apparatus and method of the present invention are designed specifically to provide quantities of an attractive and highly usable sequined, texture fabric at increased speeds and reduced costs than was previously possible for the production of sequined fabrics.